evil the thoughts of the heart As God is just and will punish sin so God is powerful to do it God he hath a strong Arm and when he comes to punish he can do it to purpose See what Job saith in chap. 16.12 I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to peeces and set mee up for his mark c. Did God deal thus with holy Job what will hee do with sinners Is not God a consuming fire Is not God terrible in righteousness Can any escape the hands of God Yee sinners in Sion can yee escape the hands of God What will yee do in the day of Visitation when God comes Can yee stand it out against the Almighty can yee plead with God and bring forth your Arguments to justifie your selves God will Condemn you he will shake you to peeces God will break your bonâ—s hee will make your reâ—es speak bitter things unto you Now the consideration of Gods Purity of Gods Justice of Gods Power sould make you thirst after Christ who may make you holy and free you from his Justice and from his Power that he might not destroy you The Law Secondly Consider the Law of God the Law of God is in few words in the Ten Commandements there is much forbidden and many things commanded he that is angry without cause he that saith unto his Brother Racha or thou fool is in danger of Hell fire Hee that looks upon a Woman and lusts after her hath committed Adultery and Adulterers shall be shut out of the Kingdom of Heaven you think Thoughts are free and lust free but what saith Paul When the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed the Commandement slew me and if the Law once enter and seize upon your heart it will drink up the moysture of your spirit it will make you restless night and day it will be as an Arrow in your Liver as a hot burning Iron Paul thought himself once that he was righteous blameless civil just and that no man should be saved sooner than himself but he was deceived when the Law came he saw what a sinner he was what vild thoughts vild lusts and practices he had been guilty of and the Law slew him The Law pronounces a Curse over your heads and James tells you He that breaks one is guilty of all therefore do not you see a need of Christ now Have you no thirsting desires after Christ who shall deliver you from the Law who shall free you from the Curse if you have not Christ to do it you will stand and fall by the Law and you cannot be justified the Jews would be saved as it were by the Law but they perished seeking righteousness by the Law and so will all that go that way Sin Again consider something of Sin are you not sinners If there be any here that saith he is not a sinner let him depart but if we be all sinners let us consider the nature of Sin O how doth sin defile us how doth sin black us what ugly loathsome Creatures doth sin make us what Black-a-mores are wee and those that are in their bloud in their filth those that dye in their sin wo bee to them well let us then lay to heart the evil of our sin and I am perswaded there is not one here that hath any understanding about it but sees a great deal of evil at one time or other in sin it is the offence of God it is the death of the Soul it is the breach of the Command Sin is that that separates between God men now what you have in the notion bring it down and reallize it in your hearts follow it with meditation and let meditation bring in the evil of sin bring in the Indictment I am guilty of this and that and the other sin and let Conscience now sit as Judge in you and speak out Conscience will Condemn you and say O thou hast sinned against my Lord and Master I am his Deputy and I sit as a petty god in thy Soul and I tell thee Thou art a Damned lost Creature now when things are brought home thus then will yee thirst after a Pardon then will you look out for Salvation then will you see Christs Bloud Christs Intercession and Christs Merits to bee precious Stout-hearted Sinners and High-way Men when the Sentence of death hath been pronounced over their heads and they have seen that they are Condemned men then they have fallen down upon their knees and have begged mercy so many stout-hearted Sinners if they would but follow home their sin by Meditation and bring the Notion home to their hearts they would see themselves to have need of Christ and to have Mercy and Grace through him Our own Lives Again Consider your own Lives have you any Lease of your Lives as Hezekiah had Do you know you shall live another week another year another night or day Are not your Lives uncertain your breath in your Nostrils Do we not finde in Scripture and in daily experience how suddenly men and women are pulled away by some hand of God or other Senacheribs Army smitten all in a night one hundred fourscore and five thousand men fifty thousand Bethshemites smitten for peeping into the Ark Herod eaten up with Worms the Tower of Shilo fell upon eighteen two Bears out of the Wood tare forty two Children And have we not examples in our days How many are blown up with Powder how many are burnt with fire how many drop down in the streets as they go Why do not you thirst after Christ and his Righteousness There is no way for you but by Christ it is Christ alone that will secure your Souls therefore can you be too early hie forward upon this account If Christ be not yours and you dye wo to you you shall dye in your sins saith Christ This were a sad Sentence to be pronounced over your head to be written upon your doors or hearts Man Woman thou shalt dye in thy sins it had been better thou hadst never been born now unless you get interest in Christ you must dye in your sins Eternity Lastly consider Eternity here you have a being but for a little time but what comes after there is an eternal condition of bliss or wo and the most go the wrong way there is a possibility for thee for eternal Happiness and the way is to thirst after Christ sit down and consider with thy self whosoever thou art that art in the gall of bitterness and hast deluded thy Soul hitherto with an out-side or form of godliness Consider ere long I must go hence and there are thousands go to Hell for one that goes to Heaven well it is time for me now to look to my self I may be gone before next day before next year and is Christ mine what a Swearer a Drunkard a Worldling a Whore-master one that doth rail slander and
unto me heare and your soules shall live and I will make an everlaesting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Is not here Incouragement enough now to come to Christ Incline your eare and come unto me and your soules shall live you shall have everlasting mercies and everlasting comforts Joh 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Here 's life and death set before you Come thou poore sinner and beleive in the Lord Jesus close with him here 's life for thee everlasting life for thee Refuse to doe it there 's everlasting death for thee thou shalt perish how peremptory is the Lord here In the 16 Mark 15 16. Goe ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that beleiveth and is baptized shall be saved but he that beleiveth not shall be damned how round is the Gospel he that beleiveth he that comes to Christ that 's the meaning he that beleiveth shall be saved saved from all his sinne saved from the power of death saved from the wrath of God saved from hell-fire saved from the guilt of his owne Conscience he that beleiveth shall be saved over and over and over he that beleiveth not shall be damned how doth he press men now to come to him If there be any weight in heaven or hell it 's laid all upon this your coming to Christ or refusing Christ if you come to Christ all heaven is yours all the glory all the joy all the comfort all the blessings all the happiness there is yours If you will not come to Christ all the terrors of hell are yours all the darkness all the mournings all the howlings all the gnashings of teeth all the misery there will be yours Therefore see how willing the Lord Jesus is that sinners should come and that they should be saved Christ's willingness to save sinners Reve 22.17 Let him that is athirst come 12ly ANother evidence of Christs willingness to save sinners that will come unto him is The Lord doth venture and hazard the loosing many by making knowne his free Grace and willingness to save sinners for when sinners doe heare that Christ is willing to save them and very desirous also many they abuse his free grace this rich mercy this willingness of Christ to doe their soules good If Christ be so willing say they wee will stay a while it will suffice hereafter In the 4th of Jude it 's said They turne Grace into wantonness and thousands of scorners turne Grace into wantonness when they heare Christ dyed and shed his blood for sinners that he is willing sinners should come in that he waites for them that he intreats and presses them to come to him they take advantage from hence to sin more freely to stay it out to the uttermost And thus the Lord runs a hazard of loosing many by making knowne the riches of his Grace the freedome of his mercy and loving kindness which shews there a very strong desire in Christ to save sinners Thirteenthly It is evident that Christ is very desirous of sinners salvation in that he takes sinners when they are at the worst of all at the height of wickedness If a Prince will take into his family those that are sick of the plague of the Leprosie and of the worst diseases 't is an argument he hath a minde to have them live in his family and that he is desirous of their company the Lord Jesus Christ he takes sinners when they are at the very worst Saul he was at the height of his blasphemy at the height of murder at the height of persecution and Christ saith Saul Saul why persecutest thou me thy blasphemies rage and persecutions are come up to heaven and Paul saith in the 1 Tim 1. he was a persecutor a blasphemer and an injurious person but I obtained mercy even when I was so great and notorious a sinner Christ came and tooke him in it 's an argument then that Christ is very desirous of the salvation of sinners that he will take sinners when they are in the height of their wickedness When the Prodigall had run out from his fathers house and had spent yeares in wicked practises in whoredome drunkenness gameing and running in the wayes of the world when he had spent all and spent himselfe now when he was in this height of wickedness it pleases God and Christ to call him to bring him home and to receive him againe had not Christ been desirous of the salvation of sinners he might have shut the doore against the Prodigall and said you shall never come in adores againe had not the Father been desrous for the Sons sake to have savâ—d sinners he would not have entertain'd the Prodigall there is not a velleitie but a strong efficacious desire in God and Christ to save sinners The Jewes when they were at the worst when they had put that innocent one to death when they had said His blood be upon us and upon our Children when they had mockt him reviled him and accused him even after all this Christ takes in many of them three thousand of them converted at one Sermon by Peter Him whom ye have Crucifyed with bloody hands hath God raised here is a cleere evidence of the earnest desire of the Lord Jesus to save sinners he takes them when they are at the worst when they have done the uttermost mischeife spite they can against him and against his wayes Fourteenthly It 's an argument that the Lord Jesus is very desirous to save sinners If you confider that the Lord takes sinners at the last cast at the end of their dayes when they have no time left to serve him he tâ—kes them at the very first intreaty and begging of mercy The Theefe you know that had livâ—d wickedly all his dayes when he came to the last cast and was upon the Laddar or nail'd to the Crosse and ready to breath out his last breath saith he Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdome Christ might have said Remember thee why should I remember thee thou hast bin a bloody wretch a Theefe and a murderer all thy dayes and thou deservest nothing now but death and damnation and why should I remember thee No the Lord Christ saith not so but he saith This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise now when there was no time left for him to honour Christ and to serve Christ he onely now intreats this favour of him being on the Crosse saith Châ—ist This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And doubtless though we have but this one Instance and so men should not presume to put off Repentance till it be too late yet I doe beleive many a soule hath met with mercy when they have been at the gates of death I say many a poore soule that hath been burdened with sin asslicted in
Conscience and ready to sinke in the gates of death they have lookt up to Christ and intreated him to remember them Christ hath shewne them mercy which shews the forwardness and willingness of Christ to save sinners Yet let not any presume to doe so for likely late Repentance is seldome true a death-bed Repentance usually is a dead Repentance when feare of hell shall drive men to look after heaven they may thanke hell for looking after God and Christ but that by the way Fisteenthly and lastly It is cleerely evident that the Lord Christ hath a strong Inclination to save sinners by his giving out of Scripture in that way and manner as he hath done the Lord Christ hath given out Scripture so as to Answer the objections of men and women to Answer all the eavills of their hearts all the pleaâ—s of corruption and of a guilty Conscience and of the Devill himselfe The Lord hath given out Scripture so as to Answer all that might hinder their coming in unto him In the 12 of Math All manner of sins and Blasphemies shall be forgiven to the sons of men What hath a sinfull heart here to say what canst thou object against this he tells thee All manner of sins shall be forgiven all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven Are thy sins beyond blasphemy are they such as come not within the compasse of all manner of sin Let thy sins be slight or great let them be old or new let them be against Law against Gospel against promises all manner of sins shall be forgiven Christ saith The sin against the Holy-Ghost shall not be forgiven But if thou have a heart to look to Christ for mercy it 's an argument thou art free from that sin for where that is there 's impenitency thereâ—s hardness of heart no thinking of Repentance nor coming to God But all manner of sin and blasphemies shall be forgiven Is not here incouragement enough unto poore sinners So here in the next words Whosoever will let him come and drinke of the water of life freely Itâ—s laid downe so as to answer all your objections and to take away all your plea's you have to stave you off from Christ So then you see cleere evidences that Christ is willing to save sinners But why is Christ so willing to save sinners First Why Christ is so willing to save sinners from his owne experience and sence of what it is to be under the displeasure of God he was once tempted he was once forsaken he cryed out in that condition and he knew what the wrath and displeasure of God meant And now being full of compassion he pitties all those that are under the disfavour of God he knows sinners have broken the Law deserved the curse the wrath of God eternall death and now his compassions being stirr'd within him his Bowels yearne he desires that sinners may come to him if any thirst let him come let him come he shall be freed from the wrath of God from the curse of the Law from guilt and condemnation it 's a sad condition I am senceable of it I was in the share and round of sinners and I know what it is to be in such a condition Secondly Christ is so desirous that so he may see of the travaile of his owne soule and that men may see the end of his coming to save sinners was reall for if Christs end was to seeke and save that which was lost unlesse he desire and use meanes to save them you may say it was not reall therefore Christ to make it out that it was really his end and that he might see of the travaile of his soule in suffering he desires sinners may come in he gives out the Gospel he appoynts Ministers he invites them extraordinarily and ordinarily he calls upon them and would have sinners to come unto him to be saved Thirdly and lastly Christ doth this that so the freenesse of Gods Grace and of his love may appeare and may be magnified Christ is wonderfull desirous that sinners should come in and when they doe come in they will magnifie the riches of Grace then they will stand and wonder at the Love of God and of Christ and that he should waite upon the beseech and intreat them to come and accept of mercy and favour Vse 1. First we may see here that the way of the Lord Christ is for sinners to come in to him and to the Father freely Whosoever is athirst let him come he doth not say let him be compelled to come forc't to come but let him come he holds out such riches of Grace and mercy such treasures and excellencies that certainly if a soule do but consider and well weigh them it will come Christ himselfe came freely to us and he would have us come freely to him There is no forcing in the Act of Convertion but all is free though God puts forth a mighty power in the hearts of people yet he overcomes them with sweetnesse and lovingnesse Let him that is athirst come But it may be said they are bidden in the 14 of Luke to compell them to come in That is not an outward compulsion he doth not speake of force of Armes but goe and compell them to come in with force of Argument propound unto them such motives in the Gospel as may compell them to come in tell them of the Beauty of holinesse tell them of the Riches of Grace tell them of the Love of God and Christ tell them of the pardon of sins and answer their objections There 's no forcing in the work of Grace no forcing men to come unto God and Christ but it 's all a free worke God draws but he drawes with coards of love he carries not men against their wills to Christ and forces them to beleive in Christ no but he sweetens their wills and overcomes them with kindnesse and Truth the Majestie Glory and loveliness of truth overcomes their wills so that men come willingly to Christ Secondly Christ being desirous that sinners should come unto him then let us not goe to any other many seeke out to others and say with them in the 4th Psal Who will shew us any good there is no releife for poore sinners in any other but in Christ t is not running to Moses nor to David nor to Prophets nor to any but to Christ 't is not friends 't is not honours 't is not Riches 't is not gifts and Talents 't is not any thing in the creature can releive a thirsty soule but Christ If any man thirst let him come come whither come to Christ all other things doe proclaime unto you 't is not in them saith the wedge of Gold 't is not in me saith house and land 't is not in us say the ships on the Sea 't is not in us and so say all other creatures 't is onely in Jesus Christ to releive a poore soule Math 11.28 Come
objections scruples and feares out of the mindes and hearts of men and women doth freely tender water of life freely hold out the Golden Scepter freely offer pardon peace Grace and salvation Thirdly The Lord doth this that so he may indeare our hearts the more unto him when a thing comes freely from others how doth it worke what hold doth it take of the heart it knitts the heart much unto them In the 2 Sam 7. the Lord there comes to David and tells him what great matters he would doe for him and for his house and v 18. Then went King David in and sat before the Lord and said Who am I ô Lord God and what is my Fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto and this was yet a small thing in thy sight ô Lord God But thou hast also spoken of thy servants house for a great while to come and is this the manner of men ô Lord God What will God deale thus by man to come to him and offer him such kindnesse and such mercy to deale so bountifully and freely with him is this the manner of men even this is the manner of God to deale with man that so he may indeare their hearts unto him And so Elizabeth saith Whence is it that the Mother of my Lord should come unto me What Mary the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ to come unto mee and give me a visit that am a poore despised creature When things are done freely and unexpectedly they doe indeare and ingage the heart abundantly Lastly The Lord doth freely hold out Grace and mercy to sinners to prevent pride boasting were there any free-will power or qualification in man which might move or draw God to bestow and give these waters man would be ready to attribute the thing to himselfe and to glory and boast now that man may not glory nor boast the Lord doth freely bestow and give the water of life 1 Cor 1.27 God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and hath chosen the weake things of the world to confound the things which are mighty The base things of the world and things which are despised hath he chosen and things which are not to bring to nought the things which are That no flesh should Glory in his presence God would have none to Glory in his presence therefore he takes things that are most unlikely foolish and weake contemptible despised Application First of all Doth the Lord freely tender water of life unto us Then this serves to reproove those that doe refuse to receive this water But you will say are there any such in the world what will any refuse water of life can there be any such living Yes beloved too many the world is full of them alwayes was and now is full of such And that I may not give you words onely take Scripture looke into the 81 Psal 11. But my people would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me Marke My people saith God would not hearken to my voyce I came and told them of water and water of life and set life and death before them but my people would not hearken to my voyce they would none of me the Fountaine of living water Though God were the Fountaine of living waters they would none of him Israel it selfe would none of him And in the 65 of Isa 2. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a Rebellious people which walketh in a way which is not good after their owne thoughts I have all the day spread out my hands to them and held out water of life unto them and they would none of me So in the 1 of Pro 24. I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hands and no man regarded but set at naught all my Counsells and would none of my Reproofe It was very frequent in those dayes they would none of the water of life And was it not so in Christs time and in the Apostles times 23 of Math 37. ô Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thee as a hen doth her chickens and ye would not I would have had you to receive water of life and to have liv'd but ye would not He came to his owne and they received him not In the 23 of the Acts 46. It was necessary that the Gospel should first have been preached unto you but seeing ye put it from you we turne to the Gentiles So in all Ages the greatest sort of people refuse the water of life they choose strange waters 2 Kings 19.24 Heb 13. They follow strange Doctrines strange opinions strange Blasphemies puddle waters poysoned waters but as for the waters of life they will have none of them Now see the evill of this in Refusing the waters of life First This will appeare The evill of refusing the waters of life if you Consider what it is they doe refuse It is water of life If it were ill bitter corrupt poysoned water it were something but it 's water of life that begets life maintaines life increases life brings unto life everlasting the more excellent any thing is that is refused the greater the evill To refuse a bag of dust To refuse a bottle of some musty liquor were nothing but to refuse a wedge of Gold a bottle of Spirits this shews folly and weakness Who that hath a right minde would refuse Gold when it 's offered water of life when it 's offered it's the most excellent thing and yet men refuse it Secondly It is that which is freely offered if it were put upon hard termes if men were to buy it at deare rates if they were to bring bags of money for it there were some pretence for refusing for every one hath not bags of money as Symon Magus had but it 's not to be sould for money it 's freely given and when such a Commoditie of such infinite worth is offered freely to you and you will have none of it your sin is great it was freely offered and you would have none of it Thirdly Consider who it is offers it it is offered by Christ by the Ministers of Christ it is offered unto you dayly but here in the Text it 's offered by Christ Now shall Christ who is the Son of God the Prince of life the Heire of the world who is worshipped by Angells who is the great Commander of Heaven and Earth shall he come and offer you water of life and will you have none of it shall he that loves sinners and laid downe his life for them and would wash them in his blood shall he come and tender the Gospel and Grace to you and will you have none thereof your sin is great exceeding great Fourthly Consider it is the greatest Ingratitude that ever was in men and women that Christ should bring water of life and freely offer it unto you and you have extreame need of it and yet will
of God is apprehended a man sees himself lost and undone this man is athirst now and this thirst is very troublesom unto him this is the nature and property of this Spiritual thirst it doth afflict and trouble the Soul 2 The nature of this thirst is that it is vehement it carries the Soul with a kind of vehemency after the thing thirsted for Give me children or else I dye there is a vehemency in the desire it makes the desire very violent earnest it is not a lasie sluggish desire as is in many Balaam desires to dye the death of the righteous the Sluggard lusteth and hath not that is a Voleitie as the School-men distinguish it from Voluntas but this is a vehement earnest desire saith Bartimeus in Mark 10. Jesus thou Son of David have mercy upon me he was carried out with a vehemency of spirit and when the Apostles and others charged him to hold his peace hee was more vehement Jesus thou Son of David have mercy on me he cries lowder so that this Spiritual thirst in the Soul is vehement and carries out the Soul with earnestness 3 This Spiritual thirst is Complanitive full of Complaints it cannot be silent 2 King 3.10 saith Jehoram there There was no water for the Host and for the Cattel that followed them And the King of Israel said Alas that the Lord hath called these three Kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab And so in Numb 20.5 Wherefore have yee made us to come up out of Aegypt to bring us into this evil place it is no place of Seed or of Figgs or Vines or of Pomgranets neither is there any water to drink O wee are come into a place where there is no water so a Soul that hath this Spiritual thirst it complains and doth express it self Rom. 7. Paul there found sin in him that he was carnal sold under sin led Captive a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his minde and what saith he O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me he was thirsty now after deliverance and hee complains of his Corruption and inquires after deliverance so that a gracious Soul in this case it is complaining Psal 32.4 There David complains that his moysture was turned into the drought of Summer O when saith the Soul will this drought be taken a way and where where is there water to be had and where is there remedy the Soul is full of complaints 4 And lastly the nature of this thirst is such as that it is never satisfied without the Lord Christ A true Spiritual thirst is insatiable till it hath Christ himself saith Christ to the woman of Samaria I have water to give thee that thou having once drank shalt never thirst any more but it shall spring up as a fountain of living water in thee Lord evermore saith shee give me of that water A nd so Peter in Joh. 6. Thou hast the words of eternal life and to whom should we go O thou art a Fountain and thou art a Fountain of living waters Words of eternal life and to whom should we go wee will go to no other we are satisfied with thee Men that have Spiritual thirst will not be satisfied with honours with pleasures with gifts they will not be satisfied with any thing but the Lord Jesus Christ himself so then you see what this thirst is why it is required and the properties of it Application First of all is this thirst of this nature you have heard then here we may be informed there are few Spiritual thirsters it was in my thoughts to have made this an Observation and have prosecuted it but I rather referred it to the Use and here I say wee may see there are few Spiritual thirsters which I shall a little insist upon saith Christ here Let him that thirsteth c. If there be a man that thirsteth let him come So in Joh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink And in the Philippians All men seek their own and no man the things of Christ there is no thirsting after Christ Now a little to insist upon this Few Spiritual Thirsters there are for few are afflicted in spirit few are sensible of the burden of sin so as to be afflicted in spirit Few have any vehement desires after Spiritual things few do complain of the corruption of their Nature few are restless till they have gotten Christ and are satisfied with him And to make it evident that they are few Consider First of all that a great number of men in the world are worldly and earthly minded these do not thirst after Christ no worldly no earthly-minded man is a Spiritual thirster after Christ the text is clear for it in Phil. 3.18 19. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who minde earthly things Mark those who minde earthly things are enemies to the Cross of Christ and do not Spiritually thirst after Christ no they are enemies to Christ Jam. 4. Yee Adulterers and Adulteresses know yee not saith he that the love of the World is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is an enemy to God If mens love be worldly and they earthly minded they do not thirst after Christ no they are enemies to God and Christ John tells you in his first Epistle ch 2.15 Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him The love of the Father is not in him the love of Christ is not in him he hath no thirsting and desire after God and Christ Rich men 1 Tim. 6.9 Those that will bee rich pierce themselves through with many cares and sorrows and drown their souls in perdition Do these thirst after Christ no earthly minded man or woman hath any Spiritual thirst after Christ 2 None that do neglect the means of Grace do thirst after Christ and yet do not a multitude neglect the means they never read the Scriptures they never hear a Sermon or very seldom they never pray and do these thirst after Christ If they thirsted Spiritually after Christ they would use the means to come to Christ If a man were athirst he would use the means to get something to quench his thirst so if men do thirst after Christ they would read the Gospel study the Gospel call upon the name of God and Christ Jer. 10. Power out thy Wrath upon the men that call not upon thy name Now when men call not upon the name of God and Christ use not the means they are the enemies of God and Christ and wrath is their portion therefore you see whole Nations never looks after Christ multitudes in this place never look
are said to be maidens who are sent forth to allure and to draw poore soules in to Jesus Christ So that the great worke of the Ministry is to make knowne the willingness of Christ and to bring sinners unto Christ that they may have mercy from him In the 2 Cor 5.19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation now then wee are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray ye in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God Saith Paul I am an Ambassador of God and God doth beseech you by us God doth beseech sinners and therefore wee beseech you saith he we beseech ye for the Lords sake be ye reconciled to God doe not stand out with God and Christ any longer but come in to God and come in to Christ and so God will receive you and Christ will receive you God doth beseech you by Ministers God doth intreat you The Commission was Goe teach all Nations he commands them for to teach all nations to acquaint them with the riches of Grace by Christ the wonderfull love and kindness of God in Christ and what 's to be had by Christ that people might come to him and have mercy and releife from him Eighthly This willingness of Christ to doe sinners good will appeare yet further in that he doth accept of the least and lowest degrees of Faith and will not discourage the weakest soule that comes unto him Math 12.20 A bruised reede shall he not breake and smoaking flax shall he not quench till he send forth Judgement unto victory Christ will be very tender of a bruised reede very tender of smoaking flax he will not breake one he will not quench the other he will not deale harshly and roughly with them but he will send forth Judgement unto victory He will give them power over all their corruptions over all their feares doubts he will make them to judge all their Enemies and be victorious over their Enemies So in the 45 Isa 22. Looke unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth Looke unto me and be saved If I have but a good looke from you saith Christ I will entertaine you looke unto me but with the weakest eye of Faith though it be a dim eye be but halfe an eye looke unto me and be saved In the 40 of Isa 11. He shall feede his Flocke like a Shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his Armes and carry them in his bosom and shall Gently leade those that are with young See how tender the Lord Christ the good Shepherd will be of those that are weake Hee will gather the Lambs with his Armes as a Shepherd when he goes abroad and a Lamb is newly yeaned and it 's weake and feeble and the weather is cold and frosty hee takes up the Lamb in his Armes and carries it home and gives it milke So the Lord will deale by a poore weak feeble soule he will carry it in the Armes of his providence in the Armes of his Spirit in those Everlasting Armes of his that never faile he will carry the Lambs in his bosom and Gently leade those that are with young Thus will he deale with them Hence he saith in the 14 Rom Him that is weak in the Faith receive ye but not to doubtfull disputations Receive him that is weake in the Faith if there be never so little Faith receive him if there be but one dram of Faith receive him Ninthly The willingness of the Lord Christ to doe sinners good appeares in this That he shutts not up this water of Life though he knowes but few will come unto him for it and those of them that doe come unto him they doe oft abase it and abase him too People doe hasten more to the waters for their bodyes to the Bath Epsum Tunbridge and to new drinkes that they have now they flock to have these for the body and can magnifie them and speak wonderfully well of them but few come to Christ and when they do come they will hardly drinke as I have told you before they speak evill of those doctrines he gives them these are hard sayings Peter himselfe denies Christ his Master denies him once twice thrice Thus Christ is dealt withall by sinners and notwithstanding all this Christ doth not shut up the water nor lock up the water but the waters stand open for any to come let whosoever will come let him come and drinke of the waters of life freely If Christ had not had a minde wee should have these waters he would have taken a course to deprive us of them he could soone dry up the waters dry up the Gospel But the waters are not dryed up they are not taken from us there is freedome for any to come notwithstanding they have abused the waters Tenthly It is strong Evidence that the Lord Christ is willing to save sinners and to doe sinners good In that he is greived troubled and affected very much that sinners will not come to him for these waters ô Jerusalem Jerusalem saith Christ weeping over it how oft would I have gathered thee as a hen doth her chickens and ye would not ô Jerusalem Jerusalem that thou hadest knowne in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes Christ is greived at the heart that men and women doe not come to him though they have no money though they have nothing to buy the water with yet that they will not come and fetch the water Christ is greived and troubled at the very heart to see it ô that these publick places should be so empty upon a Lords day so empty upon a week day there 's water of life and none will come and drinke the water how oft how oft may Christ say would I have sav'd such a Towne such a Nation such a people and they would not Christ weepes over soules and familyes and Cities Eleventhly It 's wonderfull perspicuous and cleere that Christ would doe sinners good in that he doth press them with the strongest Arguments that can be to pertake of the good is to be had by himselfe What promises doth he make what evills doth he threaten There are two great Arguments that doe prevaile with all the world yet will not prevaile here he setts lise and death before men If you will come here 's life for you if you will not come you are dead men people will not keepe within doores when these are the Arguments my life is at the stake and if I goe I am a made man if not I am a lost man an undone man Why will ye dye ô house of Israel I am not willing ye should dye why will ye dye why will ye dye turne unto me and live come unto me and live In the 55 of Isa Incline your â—are and come
you shall have peace of Conscience that passes understanding you shall have found Illumination and know God and Christ which is life eternall you shall have Christs wisdome Christs righteousnesse Christs sanctification Christ to be your Redemption you shall have the hidden Manna you shall have the white Stone you shall have the new name you shall be made a pillar in the Temple of God you shall be made a member of Christ you shall be made a Temple of the holy Spirit you shall have the Inhabitation of the Father and the Son and Spirit everlastingly in your soules would you have any thing that heaven hath that God hath that Christ hath come to Christ and you shall have it Againe Consider who it is that Invites you to Christ 't is not Moses 't is not Abraham 't is not Ahasuerush 't is not Hester but a greater then any of these a greater then all these when Moses spake to Pharaoh he prevailed with him to let the people goe to Mount Sinai Abraham and Lot prevailed with Angells to come in and eate and drinke with them Ahasuerush prevailed with the Nobles of 127 Provinces to come and feast with him Hester prevailed with Ahasuerush to shew mercy to Mordecai and the Jewes and to destroy Haman shall these prevaile and shall not the Lord Jesus Christ who is greater then all these prevaile Why Christ was greater then Moses Moses was a servant but Christ was a Son in the house Abraham rejoyced to see the day of Christ and he saw it Ahasuerush he was but an Earthly Prince but Christ is the Prince of life the Prince of all the Kings of the earth an eternall Prince Hester a poore captive and Christ is the Master of the marriage-feast And shall the Lord Christ now intreate Invite and beseech you to come in to come to him and will ye not hearken Pharaoh hearkens to Moses will not you hearken to Christ Angells hearken to Abraham and Lot will not you hearken to Christ Nobles hearken to Ahashuerush will not you hearken to Christ Ahasuerush hearkens to Hester and will not you hearken to Christ Let him that is athirst come come saith Christ 't is I that speake to you who am the Son of God who am the Saviour of the world who am the Everlasting Father who am the Lord of Glory who have Heaven at my dispose come come ô come in then to the Lord Jesus let not your sins let not Devills let not world let not your lusts keepe you backe from the Lord Jesus And what is it Christ calls you for why doth he Invite you is it for your hurt is it to upbraid you for your sin is it to check you for your infirmities is it to revile you and reproach you for any miscariages If it were so then you might demurre then you might argue the case then you might give a deniall but 't is for none of all these it is for your good and wholly for Your good God and Christ have no designes upon men as here men have designes one upon another If they invite you to a feast they have many times a designe upon you but God and Christ have no designes upon you 't is purely meerly totally for your good The Lord Invites you that you may pertake of his righteousnesse that you may have his wisdome his Spirit his fullnesse his Grace his Glory that you may be happie as he is happie Christ gets nothing by it you have all the gaine and all the benefit Againe Consider that Christs tendering himselfe unto you it is the greatest mercy that heaven hath to tender unto poore sinners what hath God in heaven now to doe your poore soules good withall besides Christ The Spirit comes not unless Christ send The Father hath promised him the sending of the Spirit But God he houlds out Christ to you God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son c. 't is the greatest mercy I say that heaven hath to tender unto you And this day in the name of the great God I do tender Jesus Christ unto you all come in and receive Christ come in and receive Christ receive the Lord Jesus Christ to be your husband to be your King to be your Prophet to be your high Priest to be your Saviour to be all in all unto you and know that if you doe refuse and will not receive Christ now offered to you if you will not let goe your lusts your drunkenness whoredome envie malice slandering and the like if you will not let goe these for Christ your damnation will be upon your owne heads salvation is brought to your doores Christ is laid before you he is held out unto you The Golden Scepter this day is held out unto you ô receive the Lord Jesus Christ And if you doe not know you provoke God more in refusing of Christ then by all the sins that you ever committed This will be the sin that will be your damnation John 3. This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather then light c. They love darknesse they love sin sinfull wayes sinfull lusts sinfull company and sinfull practises These you love this is The Condemnation when men will not receive Christ they make God a lyar and what an injurie is this to God that you will put the lie upon God as if God did not love the world as if God not hold out Christ to save sinners And if you receive him not you doe not bare witness to the truth of God and sett to your seales that God is true and so honour him Therefore be perswaded to come in and honour the Lord Jesus Christ What will make it so hard with those of Capernaum with those of Jerusalem at the last day but because Christ was their Prophet and there offered unto them and they would none of him We will not have this man to rule over us This is the Heire come let us kill him ô therefore it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah at the day of Judgement easier it shall be for Constantinoble at the day of Judgement then for Stepney that will not leave your sinfull courses and fall in with Christ and live as Christ and looke for Glory hereafter Why you shall not be alwayes here and then comes an eternall condition and why will you loose Eternitie for momentary pleasures and momentary riches why will you loose Glory and loose all and have that which will a thousand times more aggravate your misery for had you not liv'd where the Gospel is preached when you come to die it would not have been so bad but when as you might have had Christ and might have had salvation and heaven and you have neglected this it will trouble you and lie sad upon you to all Eternitie and this will sinke you deeper into hell That mercy is your torment that mercy is your hell that mercy is
have none of it he doth it out of love and aymes at your good and the saving of your soules and yet you will have none of this water what Ingratitude is this Christ may say I brought water to your doore and such water as was water of life it would have quickned you maintain'd life in you brought you to Eternall life and you would none of it heare ô Heavens and hearken ô Earth was there ever such Ingratitude Fifthly Consider that this water of life is the onely remedy can doe your soules good It 's the mercy of God in Christ its Christs merits the Spirit and the Graces thereof must doe sinners good if any thing in heaven and earth can doe them good There is nothing in Heaven and Earth besides free Grace and mercy this water of Life which can doe your soules good If you will not drinke of this water you must die you must die and perish for ever as in Jonah They imbrace lying vanities and forsake their owne mercies so all men and women in the world imbrace lying vanities who forsake these waters they will drinke the muddie waters of the world the filthy waters of sin of the ditches of Rome of the puddles of Egypt and Babylon but of these waters which would save their soules they will not drinke this is an evill against the Remedy Sixthly Consider that the refusall of these waters provokes God and Christ greatly to wrath you cannot provoke God more then by refusing his kindnesse you greive you vex the Spirit you resist the Spirit and so provoke God bitterly Psal 81.11 12. saith he My people would not hearken to my voyce and Israel would none of me so I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts I will scourge them no more but give them over to the saddest Judgements in the world they shall be left to their owne lusts their own wills and humours I will leave them now to drinke waters will poyson them waters will ripen them for hell So in the 14 of Luke those that were Invited to the Supper they made excuses all and would not come saith Christ not one of them shall tast of my Supper The meaning is they shall not onely not tast of the dainties I have prepared but they shall tast of the severitie of my wrath In stead of cups of vvine they shall have cups of Brimstone fire The vengeance written they shall have executed upon them When God offered Canaan to the Jewes and they resused it and would goe back to Egypt God was so mooved that he sware in his wrath If they shall enter into my Rest If they enter into my Rest let me be thrust out of heaven And the siercenesse of Gods anger never came upon the Jewes till they had refused Christ and these vvaters of life But then the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost to perfection it came upon them Seventhly Lastly Those that refuse the vvaters of life The Lord Christ and God doth keepe account of all such passages and will bring them in against them and urge them as aggravations of their misery at last The Lord keepes account I have stretched out my hands all the day long saith God A whole day the day of their lives I waited upon them Fortie yeares long was I greived with this Generation Revel 3.20 Christ saith Behold I stand at the doore and knock Christ keeps account how long he stood there how many knocks he hath made there how many tenders of Grace have been presented to you how often you refused and turned them away He will come at last and say At such a place I stood and knockt twenty or thirtie yeares And in such a place I tendered Grace to them a thousand times and my Spirit presented good motions to them ten thousand times and yet they refused All these vvill be brought in at last and then vvhen you shall see this black bill this will sinke you into the bottome of hell Grace offered peace offered heaven offered Christ and his righteousnesse offered to be your portion and you would none of all these and what did you choose chaffe earth puddle water your misery will be exceeding great The Water of Life Reve 22.17 And whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely WEE come now to a use of Exhortation If the waters of life be freely offered then here 's an Invitation to all sinners to come and accept of these waters Come ye sinners whosoever ye be ye that are in the chambers of Death ye that are in the broad way ye that are enemies to God through wicked workes in your minde ye that have liv'd basely to the dishonour of God and man to your owne prejudice and damnation If you will come here are waters and waters of life waters will give life to the dead here are waters to increase life here are waters to be had freely Come to these waters these waters are held forth upon such tearmes that ye may all come and receive them whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life In the 55 of Isa 7. It 's said Let the wicked forsake his wayes and the unrighteous his thoughts and turne unto the Lord and he shall have mercy Pro 28. It 's said He that confesses his sins and forsakes them shall finde mercy There the termes are somewhat hard who can forsake his wayes and turne from his evill thoughts and the like it 's a hard thing to doe But here it 's upon other termes Whosoever will let him come and take of the waters of life freely You may have them freely whatsoever your sins have been crimsen sins scarlet sins crying sins sins against light of nature against Law against heaven against earth sins against State against Church against soule or body sins against Gospel whatsoever your sins have been here are waters of life freely for you Abraham was an Idolater and yet he had water of life freely Saul was a persecuter and he had water of life freely and why may not you have waters of life freely A man may goe and take water at any Well in a Towne he may goe to the Thames and take water what he will when the Raine falls who may not have a share of it here 's water here 's raine from heaven and who will may come and take water of life Sometimes money is given in a place for poore people and it is made knowne for them to come and fetch it but they must first get Petitions Justices Ministers and other mens hands of their honesty of their faithfullnesse of their service of their sufferings of their losses and a great deale of dooe there is before they can have the money but it is not so here Christ doth not say Let him that is righteous come let him that is so qualified take it let him that hath suffered such hard things let him that hath been tempted
a willing minde he is free himselfe and gives water of life freely and he would have you serve him cheerefully and willingly But to proceede to another observation Whosoever will saith he let him take the waters of life freely Whosoever will The willing Man The observation is this That man who is willing or hath a willingness to have the waters of life shall have them Be the man what he will high or low rich or poore learned or unlearned young or old bond or free whosoever hath a willingnesse in them to have the waters of life shall have them To make it out from the Scripture unto you Joh 5.40 Ye will not come to me that ye might have life That ye might have waters of life were there in you a willingnesse to have the waters of life saith Christ ye might have them In the 55 of Isa 1.2 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and ye that have no money come buy and eat yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price saith Christ are ye willing to have waters of life are ye willing to have wine and milke without money there 's the stick you say you have no money saith Christ will you have them without money are you willing to have them If you be but willing saith Christ you shall have them are you athrist you shall have water I looke not after your money I looke not after such qualifications or dispositions and preparations But are you willing to have it Wherefore doe you spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not And because men will not come to Christ Christ comes to them Pevel 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke saith he If any man heare my voyce and open the doore I will come in to him and will Sup with him and he with me Christ comes and stands at the doore and knocks You know when one comes to the doore of a house and knocks if there be one within and the party will not open the doore you cannot come in but if the party will open the doore you come in presently Christ comes and kcocks now and he would faine come in but men and women will not open the doore What 's the opening of the doore your hearts are the doore and the opening of your hearts is your willingnesse that Christ should come in but men and women keepe the doore shut and so Christ enters not they have no willingnesse in them there is a Will in all men by nature but there is not a willingness If a man have a hand to receive any thing while he keepes his hand shut he can receive nothing but if he will open his hand then he is fit to receive a man that keepeth his mouth shut he can take in no water no wine no food This is the case sinners so long as they keepe their hearts shut Christ knocks the Spirit knocks the Minister knocks the word knocks God knocks but they will not open and so there is no enterance But willingnesse now is the opening of the heart and makes way for Christs enterance Lydia was hearing and her heart was opened and Christ came in the waters of life came in And in the 1 of Isa 19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eate the fatt of the Land If ye be willing ye shall have the blessing There is a willingnesse required in sinners to receive Grace to receive mercy to receive the waters of life Quest Now wherein lies this willingnesse that should be in sinners to receive the waters of life to receive Grace and Mercy Answ It lies in three things First In a high prizing of this water of life when a man comes to have apprehensions of worth and excellency in it thereupon he prizeth what is so apprehended for you must know that the opperations of the will are according to the apprehensitions of the understanding If a mans understanding have apprehensions of a great deale of good and worth in a thing then his will prizes the good that is in the thing answerably When men have weake apprehensions of things they have weake prizings of them and value them accordingly But if men apprehend things strongly to have a great deale of worth and excellency in them then they prize them answerably Now when the waters of life are apprehended to be exceeding good to be an Infinite mercy an unspeakeable mercy then the will prizes them and prizes them above all other things Take Christ he is water of Life Coll 1.19 It pleased the Father that in Christ should all fullnesse dwell There is then all fulnesse in Christ Coll 2.3 In him are hid all the Treasures of wisdome and knowledge Coll 3.11 Christ is all in all Paul had a large apprehension of the excellency of Christ and Paul prizes Christ answerably and accounts all dung for Christ losse for Christ So that there 's the first thing in this willingnesse that the soule having seene a worth an excellency a transcendency of good prizes it answerably Secondly The soule hereupon comes to make choice of this good for it selfe The Will chooses this good so apprehended and so prized As a man he beholds a person beautifull amiable and sutable unto him he prizes the person and makes choice of the person in himselfe for himselfe So the will upon apprehension of water of life and the Infinite good by it doth choose this water of life for it selfe And thus David in the 73 Psal 25 v Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that my soule desires in comparison of thee David saw such worth in Christ as that he doth choose Christ in heaven and in earth and none besides him Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none that I desire upon earth besides thee So the Spouse in the 5 Cant 10. My beloved there 's the choice is white and ruddy the cheifest of ten thousand I know what a one my beloved is I have such apprehensions of him he is white and ruddy the cheifest of ten thousand better then all and therefore I choose him he is my Beloved The will comes to choose and take in the object so apprehended for it selfe that is the second thing the will acting in the choosing of Christ Thirdly The Will mooves and carries the soule to the Injoying of the thing prized and chosen As when a man hath cast his eyes upon a virgin and he values her and in his heart chooses her Then he uses all lawfull meanes to Injoy her his will carries him to the use of meanes so here The Will mooves the soule now towards Christ to close with Christ to injoy Christ and doth act both inwardly outwardly Inwardly by longings sighings desires thirstings ô that I had water of life ô that I had water of the well of Bethlehem as David said ô that
I had Christ ô that I had the Spirit ô that I had Grace And then outwardly it carries to the use of all meanes to reading to hearing to meditating to prayer conferring and the like to all the ordinances and all the meanes that it may Injoy Christ and meete with him whom it hath chosen this is the willingnesse that is required If you be willing If he hath had such apprehensions and prized the water of life whosoever hath made choice of it whosoever is moov'd and carried out to Injoy it let that soule take the water of Life Quere Now a Quere moveable upon this is Whither can man by his owne abilities make this choice of Christ or of this water of life Answ Men by their naturall abilities may desire the word and be carried out after it Amos 8.11 12. Behold the day is come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the Land not a famine of Bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord and they shall wander from Sea to Sea and from the North even to the East They shall run too and fro to seeke the Word of the Lord and shall not finde it Marke when the word should be taken away they would have a desire and there would be a motion after it in them and yet these it 's conceived were not regenerate Godly but of the ordinary and common sort of people The worke of reason and naturall apprehension of some good to be in the word carried them after it But I conceive no man can by naturall abilities thus will the Lord Jesus Christ as we have spoken There be Scriptures that doe hold it out strongly If you looke into the 7 Rom 11. Sin taking occasion by the Commandement deceived me and by it slew me Sin slew me saith Paul if Paul were slaine a dead man how could he moove in such a manner then towards Christ for marke in the 6 Chap 11 â—â— Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Saith Paul I was slaine through sin But as You have life through Jesus Christ so must I have life through Jesus Christ I have no life naturally and of my selfe and that place 1 Cor 2.14 But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Some would make this verse to speak to young Christians weake Christians But saith he the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God a young Christian having the Spirit of God would receive the things of the Spirit of God would have some spirituall discerning But the naturall man is a man destitute of the Spirit for he saith We have received not the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God But the naturall man now which hath not the Spirit he receives them not he discernes them not And that this is the meaning of the word looke but into the 19 Jude where you have the same word Sensuall he might Interpret it Naturall Sensuall not having the Spirit Now he that hath not the Spirit he cannot discerne the things of God he cannot desire them he cannot receive them therefore saith Christ unto Peter Blessed art thou Symon Bar-jona For flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee Some boast they come to this by the power of nature but God hath revealed it by the power of his Spirit and in the 1 Cor. 1.21 For after that in the wisdome of God the world by wisdome knew not God it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve All the wisdome of the world brought them not up to the knowledge of God So then by mans naturall abilitie he is not able to come to this willingnesse Quere To what end then are these waters of life freely offered if a man have not this power to will these waters are they not offered in vaine Answ To this I answer first 'T is not so 't is not in vaine for where the Gospel comes there is so much mercie love and goodnesse of God held out such great pretious and free promises presented unto men as that being heeded they beget a willingnesse in sinners to live there goes a generall vertue and power with the Gospel to doe something in the hearts of men and women which they could not doe before When the Loadstone toucheth the needle it makes an impression and leaves some virtue upon it It 's said in the 47 of Ezek 9. That whithersoever the waters of the Sactuary doe come they heale the waters That is If men and women who are like the dead Sea who are corrupt filthy stinking and loathsome in their naturall condition The waters of the Gospel doe something there and they doe inable men to will and will otherwise then they could before so that men now living under the Gospel if they heed the Gospel there is so much Grace mercy and love of God held out in the Gospel and such breathings of Gods Spirit goes along with it that if men heede the same something is wrought in their hearts that may Inable them to will these weters of life and their not doing of this is sufficient Ground for their condemnation And secondly The Lord he tenders these waters of life unto whosoever will that so these persons might begg of God a will to receive these waters who is ready to give them these waters For when they shall see waters of life held out and it is thus whosoever will let him take of them The soule may well conclude and say Surely God will give me a will to receive these waters if I begg them So that if men and women now having waters of life held out freely doe come to God and begg of God this willingnesse Lord give me a Will give me a will to close with Christ to prize Christ to move out after Christ God that will give them the waters will give them the will Phil 2.13 Pro 16.1 Thirdly Lastly This will Justifie God and this will be Condemnation to the creature that here 's the Gospel offered to men freely that the Gospel if heeded will beget a power and will in men that God if pray'd unto will give them the will and yet they neglect all Mens Condemnation will be upon their owne heads where is God to be blam'd This being so let us give you the reasons why the Lord holds out waters of life to those that are willing to receive them Or why is this willingnesse requir'd at our hands First This willingness is required Why this willingness is required because otherwise men will not take the waters of life let God offer them never so freely or never so long If men be not willing they will not take them present vvhat you vvill to a man that
no rest I say till you finde this willingnesse in you And a little to excite you unto it and then to shew you how you may come to this willingnesse First Consider that you have a willingnesse to other things and that willingnesse will doe you little good without this nay your willingnesse to other things it may prejudice you and will prejudice you unless you have this willingness men are willing to have honours riches greatness in the world willing to have all things about them in the best manner what will this doe you good unless you have a willingness to the vvaters of life Riches will not deliver in the day of wrath there will be a day of wrath and what will your Riches your honours and all doe then These will doe nothing for you but these may prejudice you 1 Tim 6.9 10. They that will be rich marke they that will be rich that have a willingness that way that see an excellency in Riches choose them and follow them They that will be rich fall into Temptations and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts which drowne men in destruction and perdition Marke these prejudice you For the love of money is the roote of all evill which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrowes vvhen men have strong vvills to creatures they may prejudice themselves and undoe soule and body But if they have such a will to the water of life that will advantage them So in the 5 Chap 6 v She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth Some their wills carry them to pleasure the pleasures of the body carnall delights and they are dead while they live have they waters of life no their vvills have slaine them They are dead while they live So in the 2d Ephe 3. Among whom we all had our Conversations in time past in the lusts of the flesh fullfilling the desires of the flesh or the wills of the flesh and of the minde vvhen we fullfill the wills of the flesh and of the minde wee are dead in sins and trespasses Children of wrath enemies to God So that to have a will that prizes other things that chooses and makes out after them this may damnifie you and undoe you The second Reason why you should labour to get this willingness is because it 's that which God requires and that which he doth onely require and all he doth requiâ—e under the Covenant of workes there was Doe this and live But now the last motion that Christ makes when he leaves the world and gives out the Scripture is this If any man have a will if there be willingness in you to waters of life that 's the thing I require and all I require and the onely thing I require He doth not require great matters at your hands he doth not say give me house and Lands give me your shops and ware give me your Ships give me your Limbs your blood your lives no saith he If any man will let me have but willingness in you this is all I require Pro 23. My Son give me thy heart Whatâ—s his meaning Let me but see a heart in thee prizing choosing and pursuing of the waters of life that 's all I require my Son give me thy heart he doth not meane that peice of flesh which is in your body that you call your heart But he would have you have so much understanding as to see an excellency in himselfe his Son his Spirit his Word and Grace and then to choose the same and to use the meanes to attaine them This is that that God requires and all he requires shall the Lord onely require your hearts nothing but your hearts and will not you study to have a heart willing to have God willing to have water of life The third and last Reason is because unlesse you are willing you shall have no water of life vvhosoever is willing let him take water of life 't is for him God will never force you to it If you leade a Beast to drinke you doe not force the Beast to drinke and God will never force men But if willingly they will prize Christ if they will choose Christ above all if they will close with him if they will use the meanes that he hath appointed to Injoy him Christ shall be their water of life the Spirit shall be theirs Take take presently saith he then take the water of life 't is for you and for none other By this time me thinks I heare you are ready to say ô that we had this willingnesse in us we hope we have it or if we have it not ô that we had hearts willing now to prize Christ to chuse Christ to close with Christ his Grace his Spirit his wayes and ordinances then we were made how shall we come by it I shall propound severall Considerations unto you whereby this willingnesse may be begotten First Consider your owne Condition Let every man and woman every son and servant seriously Consider with themselves in what Condition are we were we not all lost in Adam are we not all under the Law and the Curse of the Law Are we not all enemies to God through wicked workes in our minds have we not abundance of guilt in our hearts and Consciences Are we not afraid of hell if we should die that we should be damned are we not helpless in our selves and miserable creatures Is not God just holy and righteous doth not the greatest part goe the broad way and why may not I be in the broad way surely I am a wretched miserable a lost and undone creature If any poore soule in the world have need of water of life I am the creature For mine owne part I speake it freely here as in the presence of God I know none of your greater sinners then my selfe and none of you to have greater need of the waters of life then my owne soule let us not deceive our selves vve are all miserable and wretched creatures and we all have need of the water of life need of Christ need of Grace need of the Spirit need of promises need of all When a man sits downe and Considers I am in debt I owe this man 10 l another man a 100 l another man a 1000 and I am in danger of resting every day I have need of some friend to helpe me This is our Condition now if you would but seriously Consider it would make you thinke is there Grace mercy with God redemption salvation for sinners why not for me This would make you begin to have some willingness in you to have waters of life Secondly Consider two things of Christ First Consider the very end of Christs Incarnation the end of his coming the end of his being here in this world why did Christ come I will shew you two or three places of Scripture Math 18.10 For the Son of man is